Hatzfeld (Eder): Castle, Half-Timbered Buildings and the History of Writing

The ruins of medieval Hatzfeld Castle stand high above the Eder Valley. Built in the 13th century, the spur castle was the ancestral seat of the Lords of Hatzfeld, who were first mentioned in 1138. Different historical themes come together in Hatzfeld: the castle and half-timbered buildings, a chapel that hosts annual concerts, and an exhibition on the history of writing. There are also trails through an ancient cultural landscape. You can shape your stay around your particular interests, whether in architectural history, writing or the landscape.

Castle and Half-Timbered Buildings in Hatzfeld

The Counts of Hatzfeld built St. John's Church as a Gothic half-timbered church halfway up the castle hill. Together with the castle high above the Eder Valley, it offers a second perspective on the town's history: the story is not only about the former ancestral castle, but also about a landmark church building on the hillside. In Hatzfeld-Lindenhof, the half-timbered church is considered the smallest church in Hesse. The two churches and the castle offer different points of interest if you are interested in half-timbered architecture and historic buildings.

Chapel, Concerts and the History of Writing

The Emmaus Chapel is now used as a cemetery chapel; it also hosts several concerts each year. If you would like to include a concert in your plans, check the current schedule. This lets you combine a cultural event with the historic buildings without limiting your stay to a single theme.

The Atelier for Calligraphy and Heraldry displays writing instruments, writing materials and texts from various centuries. The exhibits offer an introduction to more than 2,000 years of writing history. A tour of about one hour focuses on the 2,000-year history of writing. By contrast, a tour of about an hour and a half can be tailored to different centuries and topics, with a focus chosen by you.

The approximate durations differ by around half an hour, while the longer tour gives you the option to choose an individual focus. This lets you weigh the time available against the depth of coverage you want. Check current visiting and tour options before your visit.

Trails Through an Ancient Cultural Landscape

The Panoramic Trail passes through the pollarded forest, an ancient cultural landscape. The hornbeams on both sides of the trail were regularly cut back to the trunk in the 19th century. The route thus combines a walk with a close look at how the landscape was used in the past. If you are interested in how historic land management has shaped landscapes, this combination of trail and trees is a distinctive feature of the route.

At the lower end of the former castle moat, on the hillside above Hatzfeld, lies the Burggraben Hatzfeld Information Centre. It includes a hillside garden with terraced beds, an uncovered old dry-stone wall, an uncovered entrance to an old tunnel, and a resting place for hikers and walkers. Together, these features bring a garden, traces of the past and a place to rest into one setting.

A section of the Eder is also precisely defined: it covers 800 m of the Eder, from the inlet of the operating canal of H & V (Sonsenbach inlet) to the start of the Eder bridge. If fishing is part of your plans, check the applicable rules and permits with the operator in advance.

Nature in the Wider Destination of Waldeck-Frankenberg

In the wider destination of Waldeck-Frankenberg, the ancient beech forests of Kellerwald-Edersee National Park have been part of the UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site since 2011. This adds another perspective on nature in the region to the historic cultural landscape of the Panoramic Trail.

The 66-kilometre Urwaldsteig Edersee can be hiked in eight stages or as part of a three-day ranger-led hike; each stage of the ranger-led hike is around 22 kilometres long. These details can help you decide between splitting the route into several stages and the three-day hiking format. When planning your trip, you can compare Hatzfeld's history of its castle, churches and writing with a broader perspective on nature and hiking in the wider destination of Waldeck-Frankenberg.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Holzhausen, Twistetal, Burgwald, Battenberg, Bromskirchen, Willingen, Haina and Korbach.

Return to the overview of the wider destination: Waldeck-Frankenberg.